Royal Mail Praises 'Common Sense' Strike Vote

Royal Mail executives called the rejection by British postal workers of a strike a "common-sense result" and said it would help the organization focus on its financial recovery.

Members of the Communications Workers Union voted against the first British postal strike in seven years by less than 2 percentage points despite urgings of support by union leadership.

Royal Mail had offered a 14.5 percent pay increase over 18 months based on productivity improvements with 4.5 percent guaranteed, but union leaders demanded more guaranteed money in the contract.

In a separate ballot, postal workers in London approved a strike, and the CWU has said it is considering its option in that area. In response, Royal Mail said it couldn't afford to give its London postal workers a better offer, and that service quality and modernization in London was trailing the rest of the country.

Contingency plans are in place to uphold mail safety and minimize delays in the event of a London strike, Royal Mail said.